Lithography techniques include processes in which, for example, a resist film formed from a resist material is formed on top of a substrate, the resist film is selectively exposed with irradiation such as light, an electron beam or the like through a mask in which a predetermined pattern has been formed, and then a developing treatment is conducted, thereby forming a resist pattern of a prescribed shape in the resist film.
Resist materials in which the exposed portions change to become soluble in a developing liquid are termed positive materials, whereas resist materials in which the exposed portions change to become insoluble in the developing liquid are termed negative materials.
In recent years, in the production of semiconductor elements and liquid crystal display elements, advances in lithography techniques have led to rapid progress in the field of miniaturization.
Typically, these miniaturization techniques involve shortening the wavelength of the exposure light source. Conventionally, ultraviolet radiation typified by g-line and i-line radiation has been used, but nowadays KrF excimer lasers and ArF excimer lasers are starting to be introduced in mass production of semiconductor elements. Furthermore, research is also being conducted into lithography techniques that use F2 excimer lasers, electron beams (EB), extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV) and X-rays.
Resist materials are required to have lithography properties such as high sensitivity to the aforementioned light source and enough resolution to reproduce patterns with very fine dimensions.
As resist materials which fulfill the aforementioned requirements, there is used a chemically-amplified resist containing a base resin that displays changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of an acid, and an acid generator that generates an acid upon exposure.
For example, as the chemically-amplified positive resist composition, a composition containing a resin component (a base resin) that exhibits increased solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of an acid and an acid generator component is commonly used. If the resist film formed from the resist composition is selectively exposed during formation of a resist pattern, then within the exposed portions, an acid is generated from the acid generator, and the action of this acid causes an increase in the solubility of the resin component in an alkali developing solution, making the exposed portions soluble in the alkali developing solution.
Resins (acrylic resins) that contain structural units derived from (meth)acrylate esters within the main chain are now widely used as base resins for resists that use ArF excimer laser lithography, as they exhibit excellent transparency in the vicinity of 193 nm (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Here, the term “(meth)acrylic acid” is a generic term that includes either or both of the acrylic acid having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and the methacrylic acid having a methyl group bonded to the α-position. The term “(meth)acrylate ester” is a generic term that includes either or both of the acrylate ester having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and the methacrylate ester having a methyl group bonded to the α-position. The term “(meth)acrylate” is a generic term that includes either or both of the acrylate having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and the methacrylate having a methyl group bonded to the α-position.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-241385.